Simple Curry Chicken Thighs

These curry chicken thighs are the easiest curry chicken recipe. It uses a simple spice mix of curry powder, coconut milk and some tinned tomatoes. to make a gorgeously fragrant curry sauce. Serve these chicken thighs over basmati rice and let the rice soak up all that sauce. You will absolutely love this 30-minute simple chicken dinner.

It feels like I make a curry almost every week! Simply because they're so quick and easy, and often my most popular recipes like this salmon curry or this simple creamy coconut chicken curry. And this one is no different. Here's why you're gonna love it!

1. This recipe only uses 10 ingredients-
2. Using chicken thighs keeps this recipe cheap
3. All ingredients are pantry staples from Aldi
4. Makes great leftovers

Simple Curry Chicken Thighs
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Ingredients needed

• vegetable oil- you can use other oils like canola or olive oil here. As long as they have a high smoke point, you're good to go.
• onion, garlic, fresh ginger- The building blocks of any great curry recipe. 
• chicken thighs (skin on, bone-in)- you can most certainly use boneless, skinless thighs here too
• chopped tomatoes- you can use whole tinned tomatoes- just be sure to break them up with a sharp knife while they're in the pan.
• curry powder- adjust the amount according to your taste
• chilli powder- you can skip the chilli powder or add more than specified depending on personal taste. Cayenne is also interchangeable here if that's what you have on hand.
• honey- to helps balance out the acidity of the tomatoes and the curry powder
• fresh coriander

Step by step cooking instructions

Step 1 & 2

• Preheat the oven to 190º Heat the oil in an ovenproof dish. (This cast iron one works well)
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper and once the oil is hot (it will shimmer) brown the chicken skin side down so it gets crispy. Fry the chicken for about 5 -8 minutes, until the skin, is golden and crispy. Remove the thighs to a plate and set them aside while you make the sauce. 

*Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to brown the chicken in batches. 

Step 3 & 4

• Drain the pan of the oil and chicken fat leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic and ginger to the hot oil. Saute for 5 minutes until the onions are soft, translucent and just starting to turn golden around the edges. 
• Pour the tinned tomatoes and coconut milk into the pan and whisk well. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add in the curry powder, chilli powder, honey and juice of the lime. Bring the sauce to a simmer.

Step 5 & 6

• Add the chicken thighs back to the pan and place them into the sauce. Place the pan in the oven for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked all the way through and the sauce is bubbling and thickened.
• Serve over basmati rice with lime wedges and sprinkle with the chopped coriander

Variations

• You can use boneless chicken thighs here, just be sure to reduce the cooking time a little bit. 
• If you want to skip the browning process for this chicken curry, use boneless skinless chicken breast and cook it straight into the sauce.
• To make this on the stove top only- add the chicken back into the sauce and continue to cook on the hob while the sauce gently simmers for about 20 minutes. Just note that the chicken skin will not remain as crispy as the oven method.

What to serve with curried chicken thighs

I wanted to keep this recipe as simple as possible and 10 ingredients, but you're probably going to want to add some extras to serve with this curry. So, here's a few top choices

1. Naan bread <- Try this homemade 2 ingredient version
2. Spinach- either just wilted on the side or stir some spinach into the sauce before you add the chicken back to the pan.
3. Steamed broccoli
4. Roasted courgettes (zucchini)

Storage

• Like most chicken recipes these curried thighs make the greatest leftovers. Simply let the chicken cool completely and store it in airtight containers with the sauce. 
• To reheat the chicken, place in a microwave-safe dish with some of the sauce and heat on medium in 30-second intervals until the chicken and sauce are hot all the way through. 
• These curry thighs will also freeze for up to 3 months. Just defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.

More curry recipes

• Indian lamb curry
• Red Thai curry turkey meatballs
• Or for a veggie option try this sweet potato curry

Tools used

1. Cast iron pan
2. Kitchen knife
3. Cutting board

Need help with meal planning? You can find our (Aldi ingredients only) weekly meal plans here! Sign up to receive them free every week or take our quick meal planning course and grab the blank meal planner and use all these recipes to create your own meal plans. 

Recipe

Simple Curry Chicken Thighs

30 Minute curry chicken thighs are a cheap family meal that everyone will love. All cooked in 1 pot in a simple curry sauce.

5 from 11 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Easy Dinners

Cuisine: Indian- Inspired

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4 Servings

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Author: Deborah Rainford

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 thumb-size piece ginger minced
• 6 -8 chicken thighs about 1kg skin-on, bone-in you can most certainly use boneless, skinless thighs here too
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes *see notes
• 400 ml tin coconut milk *see notes
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• ½ teaspoon chilli powder- you can skip the chilli powder or add more than specified depending on personal taste.
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 lime juice only
• ½ bunch fresh coriander chopped

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 190ºc or 375ºf.
• Heat the oil in an ovenproof dish. (This cast iron one works well)
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper and once the oil is hot (it will shimmer) brown the chicken skin side down so it gets crispy. Fry the chicken for about 5 -8 minutes, until the skin is golden and crispy. Remove the thighs to a plate and set aside while you make the sauce.
• Drain the pan of the oil and chicken leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic and ginger to the hot oil. Saute for 5 minutes until the onions are soft, translucent and just starting to turn golden around the edges. 
• Pour the tinned tomatoes and coconut milk into the pan and whisk well. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add in the curry powder, chilli powder, honey and juice of the lime.  Bring to a gentle simmer, add the chicken thighs back to the pan, and place them into the sauce. Place the pan in the oven for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked all the way through and the sauce is bubbling and thickened.
• Serve over basmati rice and sprinkle with the chopped coriander

Notes

1- tomatoes - you can use whole tinned tomatoes- just be sure to break them up with a sharp knife while they're in the pan.

2- coconut milk- full fat or reduced fat works in this recipe.

3- you can use boneless chicken thighs for this recipe just reduce the cooking time by about 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 304kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 337mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 40IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 4mg

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